Title

Author

Keywords and Phrases

Planar elastica

Abstract

"Compliant mechanisms derive some or all of their mobility from the flexibility of one or more of their members. Traditionally, compliant mechanisms have been developed using cost-prohibitive, repetitive prototyping and testing. The pseudo-rigid-body model concept bridges the gap between compliant mechanism synthesis and rigid-link synthesis. Consequently, modeling and analysis reduces or eliminates the need for prototyping and testing. Due to their large-deflection behavior, compliant members could deform from the stable region into the unstable region. The purpose herein is to advance the areas of modeling and analysis of compliant mechanisms with emphasis on the stability characteristic of such mechanisms.

Generic pseudo-rigid-body models are developed for the straight flexible continuum, that undergo buckling with axial loading, under a variety of boundary conditions. Curved and undulating elastica offer greater kinematic mobility than their straight counterparts, and hence offer a great potential for possible application in compliant mechanism design. Pseudo-rigid-body models for pinned-pinned curved and undulating elastica are developed, from the pseudo-rigid-body models of fixed-free curved members under axial loading. The chain algorithm is modified to calculate the stored strain energy in a deformed planar elastica. This energy is used to predict instability in curved and undulating elastica. Bistable mechanisms have proven their worthiness at both macro and micro levels in applications such as switches, valves and relays. The concept of bistable behavior is discussed and designing of four-bar mechanisms with torsional springs with bistable characteristics is presented"--Abstract, leaf iii.